Salt

Salt is the common name we use for a chemical compound called sodium chloride. It’s an essential part of your diet – your body needs a small amount of salt in order to keep functioning properly. But most people eat too much, which can lead to serious health problems.

Here we look at how much salt you need, why you need it – and some tips for cutting down your salt intake.

How much salt do we need?

We need some salt in our diet. The sodium that we get from salt is vital for a number of important functions in your body. It helps to keep the right balance of fluid levels in your body, and to keep your nerves and muscles working properly.

You only need a small amount though – adults should aim to have no more than 6g of salt (the equivalent of one teaspoon) a day. This is the equivalent of 2.4g of sodium. Most people have more than this without even realising, as much of your salt intake comes from processed foods.

For instance, two slices of bread contains the equivalent of nearly 1g of salt, while a portion of tomato soup can easily contain more than 1g.

For babies and children, the recommended limit is much lower (see image below). A baby’s kidneys are too immature to cope with too much salt. Don’t add salt to a baby’s or child’s food, especially babies who are just being weaned. You also shouldn’t give babies any processed foods that aren’t specifically designed for babies.

What are the health problems of too much salt?

Almost everyone eats more salt than they need. It’s easy to do as salt is added to many processed foods that we eat every day – like breads and breakfast cereals. So you’re probably not even aware when you’re eating it.

Eating too much salt is strongly linked to high blood pressure, which in turn raises your risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. There’s also evidence of a link with kidney disease, osteoporosis and stomach cancer.

What foods are high in salt?

Salt isn’t just something you add to your own food while you’re cooking or at the table. It’s also added to many processed food products during manufacturing to add flavour, texture or for preservation. In fact, most of the salt in our diet comes from processed foods.

It may be obvious that some foods have lots of salt in them when they taste salty, like crisps. But this isn’t always the case. There are plenty of everyday foods, such as bread and breakfast cereals that have ‘hidden salts’ – meaning they are high in salt, even if you can’t taste it. Here are some example of foods that are often high in salt.

Many food manufacturers have started making positive changes to reduce the amount of salt they add to processed foods. So it’s worth checking food labels to see how different products compare. See the next section for more information on what you should be looking for on food labels.

How do you know a food is high in salt?

The easiest way to check whether a food is high in salt is to check the nutritional information on the label. Many food manufacturers have adopted the ‘traffic light’ system of labelling. This allows you to see at a glance whether a food is high in salt (red), medium (amber) or low (green). You’ll need to see whether the amounts given are per average portion size, or per 100g. Also, think about how much you are likely to eat of the product: look at the weight of the packet as a guide.

Sometimes, a label won’t use the traffic light system, or it might only include the level of sodium rather than salt. If this is the case, use the guide below to assess whether it’s high in salt.

Products low in salt

Salt (amount per 100g) = 0–0.3g

Sodium (amount per 100g) = 0–0.1g

Products with a medium salt content

Salt (amount per 100g) = 0.3–1.5g

Sodium (amount per 100g) = 0.1–0.6g

Products high in salt

Salt (amount per 100g) = more than 1.5g

Sodium (amount per 100g) = more than 0.6g

How to cut down on salt

There are many ways in which you can reduce your salt intake. Here are a few of the key actions you can take.

Cook from scratch when you can, using fresh meat, fish and vegetables rather than processed foods.

Try not to add salt during your cooking – instead, try other flavours, such as herbs and spices, black pepper and lemon juice.

Cut back on table sauces such as ketchup, mayonnaise and soy sauce.

Check food labels when shopping to compare brands and different products.

You may find food tastes bland at first when you cut down on salt. It’s worth sticking with it though. After a few weeks, your taste buds will adjust to the lower amounts of salt, and you’ll start to notice more flavour in your foods.

Salt – the facts [infographic]

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